Roller conveyor oven for heating while rotating and conveying a multiplicity of cylindrical food items thereon

ABSTRACT

A forced hot air roller conveyor drying assembly is provided. It consists primarily of two parts; a roller conveyor for rolling cylindrical elongated food members while transporting them horizontally from one end of the conveyor to the other, and a hot air drying assembly for blowing hot air around the product as it is being rolled. The combined rolling of the product and the drying of the product helps ensure that the physical roundness of the food product remains nice and uniform while it is being uniformly dried. The forced hot air assembly may include a fan and heating elements, the fan directing warm air to the product rolling horizontally through the assembly and the roller conveyor may be comprised of a multiplicity of paired roller members driven by chain links, which chains are in turn driven by an axle engaging a drive sprocket.

This utility patent application claims the benefit of and priority toU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/912,871, filed Dec. 6, 2013,and Ser. No. 61/969,494, filed Mar. 24, 2014.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Roller conveyors for food items, including air handling for heating thefood items.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conveyors for moving food items, such as sausages and hot dogs as knownin the art. However, they typically do not have the structure andfeatures as more specifically set forth in the embodiments ofApplicant's conveyor roller (with, optionally, an air handling unit) asset forth in more detail below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A device for conveying a multiplicity of cylindrical food items having alength and a diameter. The device comprises an elongated rectangularframe having multiple cross-members. The cross-members engage an innerpair and an outer pair of longitudinal members spaced apart from oneanother by the multiple cross-members and trending generallyperpendicular thereto, the frame has a length and width. A rollerconveyor assembly comprising multiple rotatable roller members and apair of link chains. The pair of chains include a first link chain and asecond link chain, the link chains having multiple links, at least someof the links being laterally spaced apart and having a first pair ofplatforms engaged therewith. The first link chain rides on one of theinner pair of longitudinal members, the second link chain rides on thesecond of the inner pair of longitudinal members, such that theplatforms of the first pair of platforms are spaced perpendicular acrossfrom one another, and adjacent a second pair of platforms likewiseconfigured. The platforms of the first pair and the second pair eachpivotably hold a pair of the rotatable roller members, each one of thepair with a drive end comprising a gear and supported by one of theplatforms of the pair and a removed end for support on the otherplatform of the pair. A motor drives an axle which has a pair of drivesprockets and engages the frame. A pair of toothed racks include a firsttoothed rack and a second toothed rack, the racks supported by theframe. The racks lay adjacent the platforms, such that the gears of thedrive ends are engaged with the teeth of the racks such that when theroller members move past the frame it causes the rollers to rotate. Thedevice further comprises: a forced hot air assembly including a housingfor substantially enclosing the roller conveyor assembly and fordirecting hot air onto the rotatable roller members. The forced hot airassembly includes a hot air handling assembly having a manifold withmultiple jets. The forced hot air assembly may include an air inlet forcarrying forced hot air into the housing and an exhaust for carrying hotair from the housing. The inlet or exhaust has a member to control theamount of air moving therethrough, further including a fan and burnerfor heating air for introduction into the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1, and 1A-1F are various views of a novel drying and transportassembly for use with Applicant's method.

FIG. 2 shows Applicant's alternate preferred embodiment of an airhandling unit for use with the roller conveyor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1-1F disclose details of an embodiment drying and transportassembly 50 for use transporting multiple food items while heating them.Drying and product transport assembly 50 may include one or more airhandling units 52 a/52 b designed to move air about the product as theproduct is being transported. Air handling units 52 a/52 b each mayinclude a fan assembly 56, including a motor 60, a heating element 58,and a shroud 65 to direct forced hot air to the food products on aroller/conveyor assembly 54 and for engaging the fan and the heatingelement. Heating element 58 heats moving air, which fan assembly 56 andshroud direct to the food product. There may be a unit above and belowthe rollers as seen in FIG. 1 to help ensure even heating and both fanand heat controls (not shown) may be used to control air flow and hotair temperatures.

The food product, such as sausage links or frankfurters, is carried on afood product roller/conveyor assembly 54, which may include a frame 62.A housing 63 (with air inlet 67) may engage, or at least partly enclose)both the air handling units 52 a/52 b and at least partly encloseassembly 54. Legs 73 may engage frame 62 and/or housing 63 to supportdrying and product transport assembly 50. Frame 62 is designed to bestationary and acts to hold other elements of the food productroller/conveyor assembly 54 in spaced relation. Frame 62 may includemultiple transverse members 64, the multiple transverse members engaginginner longitudinal members 66/68 and outer longitudinal members 70/72.The inner and outer longitudinal members being paired laterally as seenin FIG. 1A. A rack 74 with upstanding teeth 76 thereon is seen to restin longitudinal members 70/72 and is directed upward (FIG. 1C) or may besuspended above frame 62 and directed downward (see FIG. 1). Rack 74 ispositioned such that teeth 76 engage drive sprockets 110 at the end ofroller members 102/104.

The roller/conveyor assembly 78 is provided and may include a pair oflink chains 80 configured as set forth herein. Link chain 80 may besupported vertically spaced apart above the inner longitudinal members66/68 in the manner set forth in FIG. 1B by support member 81. The links82 of link chain 80 may include mounting brackets 84. Mounting brackets84 may include depending members 86 and horizontal members 88, the twomembers of one link spaced apart on chain link axles 87 (see FIG. 1B).Horizontal members 88 are adapted to receive laterally spaced apartroller mounting blocks 90/96 through the use of fasteners 95, the pairedchain and mounting block assemblies on either side of the frame are asseen in FIG. 1A (chain omitted for clarity).

In FIG. 1A, mounting block 90 is seen to have a first and second 92/94channels and mounting block 96 is seen to have first and second channels98/100 therein. The channels are adapted to receive the removed ends ofroller members 102/104 (see FIG. 1B), these paired roller members 106being supported in mounting blocks 90/96, so they may roll therein. Asseen in FIG. 1F, at the removed ends of roller members 102/104 are aland 108 on one end to position the removed end against the outer wallof the mounting block and a roller drive sprocket 110 at the oppositeend of the land. Roller member drive sprocket 110 will cause rotation ofthe axle support roller members as they are driven from one end of theframe to the other as seen in FIG. 1. This is due to chains 80 pullingthe roller/conveyor assembly 78, which includes moving drive sprockets110 across rack 74 (see FIG. 1, upper rack; FIG. 1B, lower rack). ArrowA in FIG. 1 shows the longitudinal movement of the cylindrical foodproduct resting between the rollers and Arrow B indicates the rotationaldirection of the food product. The combined rotation and longitudinalmovement helps ensure even drying while maintaining the round physicalconfiguration of the food product. A pair of motor “M” driven drivesprockets 114 are located on either end of a frame 62 mounted drive axle112, which may be motor driven, as with an electric motor “M” with aspeed controller “XL” (see FIG. 1) FIG. 1 shows a setting finger 116,which may be attached to the frame and is provided so that the chainpasses by, but the teeth of the roller member sprocket will strike it asthe teeth pass by. For example, in FIG. 1, you will see that the chainis moving from left to right, and the roller member drive sprocket 110moving from left to right is just about to have one of its teeth strikefinger 116. When that happens, it will set the roller member drivesprocket in a proper position so it does not jam when it strikes theleading edge of rack 74.

FIG. 2 illustrates an alternate preferred embodiment of a rollerconveyor forced hot drying assembly 50 a, which comprises a rollerconveyor assembly 54 with an air handling unit 252. The function of theroller assembly is to carry individual links of food product aligned onthe rollers through a forced air heater to roll the food product whileheating it in a manner that provides uniform and sufficient heat as wellas maintains the roundness and the form of the product and, to do so, inthe machine that has a low profile. Illustrated is one such assembly 50a in which the air handling unit 252 is designed to providesubstantially uniform forced hot air onto the product as it is beingmoved. Rectangular housing 263 may have openings on either end thereofas seen in FIG. 2. A plenum assembly 220 is provide engaged to housing263 which plenum assembly may include a heater 222 and fan 224. The fandraws in the air through controlled openings on intake 223 and past aburner 228 (such as an electrical or natural gas burner), which mayinclude a natural gas conduit 226, burner 228 adjacent the fan. Engagedto the plenum assembly 220 may be a hot air distribution system 230,which is a system of pipes that will typically include multiplemanifolds 232 a/232 b/234 a/234 b (some may be above product, somebelow) and multiple air jets 236 as laid out in FIG. 2 in one embodimentto provide forced hot air so the hot air jets to the top and bottom ofthe product as it rolls past the jets. Here, a pair of upper manifolds232 a/232 b and lower manifolds 234 a/234 b are engaged to the plenum todirect the airflow to the jets. Air temperature control by a temperaturesensor 240 that may be placed within the interior of housing 263, so tocontrol the air temperature and, therefore, the food product temperaturetherein by turning the burner up, down or off. Typically, thistemperature may be controlled between any suitable temperature range,about 120 and 210° F. or about 195° F., in one embodiment. In addition,a heat exhaust 242 engaged to the interior of housing 263 may becontrolled, for example, through a servo-motor controlled damper 244, tocontrol the humidity within the interior of the housing.

The heat may be controlled by turning the gas burner (or electricalheater) on and off or up and down. The humidity may be controlled byadjusting fresh air which typically is dryer than the air inside housing252. This is done by controlling the damper valve 244, which may have aservo motor and be in one embodiment 50% open, the damper may be withinheat exhaust 252. Opening the damper will typically drop humidity byallowing more air to enter through fresh inlet 223, closing the damperwill increase humidity (unless it is a very wet or humid day).

Although the invention has been described with reference to a specificembodiment, this description is not meant to be construed in a limitingsense. On the contrary, various modifications of the disclosedembodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art uponreference to the description of the invention. It is thereforecontemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications,alternatives, and equivalents that fall within the true spirit and scopeof the invention.

1. A device for conveying a multiplicity of cylindrical food itemshaving a length and a diameter, the device comprising: an elongatedrectangular frame having multiple cross-members, the cross-membersengaging an inner pair and an outer pair of longitudinal members spacedapart from one another by the multiple cross-members and trendinggenerally perpendicular thereto, the frame having a length and width; aroller conveyor assembly comprising multiple rotatable roller members, apair of link chains, the pair comprising a first link chain and a secondlink chain spaced laterally apart from the first link chain, the linkchains having multiple links, at least some of the links having a firstpair of platforms engaged therewith, the first link chain for riding onone of the inner pair of longitudinal members, the second link chain forriding on the second of the inner pair of longitudinal members, suchthat the platform of the first pair of platforms are spaced laterallyacross from one another, and adjacent a second pair of platformslikewise configured; wherein the platforms of the first pair and thesecond pair each pivotably hold a pair of the rotatable roller members,each one of the pair of rotatable roller members with a drive endcomprising a gear and supported by one of the platforms of the pair anda removed end for support on the other platform of the pair with thedrive ends of the roller members on separate platforms of the platformpair; a motor for engaging the frame and the link chains to drive thelink chains; and a pair of toothed racks comprising a first toothed rackand a second toothed rack, the racks supported by the frame, the racksfor laying adjacent the platforms, such that the gears of the drive endsare engaged with the teeth of the racks such that when the rollerconveyor moves past the frame it causes the rollers to rotate.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1 further comprising: a forced hot air assemblyincluding a housing for substantially enclosing the roller conveyorassembly and for directing hot air onto the rotatable roller members. 3.The device of claim 2: wherein the forced hot air assembly includes ahot air handling assembly having a manifold with multiple jets.
 4. Thedevice of claim 3: wherein the forced hot air assembly includes an airinlet for carrying forced hot air into the housing and an exhaust forcarrying hot air from the housing.
 5. The device of claim 5: whereineither the inlet or exhaust has a member to control the amount of airmoving therethrough.
 6. The device of claim 5 further including a fanand burner for heating air for introduction into the housing.
 7. Thedevice of claim 1, further including an index finger engaging the gearsof the rotatable roller members.
 8. The device of claim 2, furtherincluding a motor for driving the axle and sprocket link chains.
 9. Thedevice of claim 8, further including a speed controller for controllingthe motor.
 10. A device for conveying a multiplicity of cylindrical fooditems having a length and a diameter, the device comprising: anelongated rectangular frame having multiple cross-members, thecross-members engaging an inner pair and an outer pair of longitudinalmembers spaced apart from one another by the multiple cross-members andtrending generally perpendicular thereto, the frame having a length andwidth; a roller conveyor assembly comprising multiple rotatable rollermembers, a pair of link chains, the pair comprising a first link chainand a second link chain spaced laterally apart from the first linkchain, the link chains having multiple links, at least some of the linkshaving a first pair of platforms engaged therewith, the first link chainfor riding on one of the inner pair of longitudinal members, the secondlink chain for riding on the second of the inner pair of longitudinalmembers, such that the platform of the first pair of platforms arespaced laterally across from one another, and adjacent a second pair ofplatforms likewise configured; wherein the platforms of the first pairand the second pair each pivotably hold a pair of the rotatable rollermembers, each one of the pair of rotatable roller members with a driveend comprising a gear and supported by one of the platforms of the pairand a removed end for support on the other platform of the pair with thedrive ends of the roller members on separate platforms of the platformpair; a motor for engaging the frame and the link chains to drive thelink chains; and a pair of toothed racks comprising a first toothed rackand a second toothed rack, the racks supported by the frame, the racksfor laying adjacent the platforms, such that the gears of the drive endsare engaged with the teeth of the racks such that when the rollerconveyor moves past the frame it causes the rollers to rotate; furthercomprising a forced hot air assembly including a housing forsubstantially enclosing the roller conveyor assembly and for directinghot air onto the rotatable roller members; wherein the forced hot airassembly includes a hot air handling assembly having a manifold withmultiple jets; wherein the forced hot air assembly includes an air inletfor carrying forced hot air into the housing and an exhaust for carryinghot air from the housing; wherein either the inlet or exhaust has amember to control the amount of air moving therethrough; and furtherincluding a fan and burner for heating air for introduction into thehousing; further including a motor for driving the axle and sprocketlink chains; and further including a speed controller for controllingthe motor.